Steve Dwelley is relocating the shala, Ashtanga Santa Barbara to the Santa Barbara Yoga Center in October. I dropped into a few classes last year while road-tripping through California. He’s a wonderful teacher! Read his message to the community below.
Hi Everybody:
I know I’ve been dropping hints, but now we’ve actually done it: the Shala itself will be closing October 13th. That’s a Monday, it will be a regularly scheduled day, 6:30 am and 5 pm classes. Tuesday the 14th is the full moon, we’ll be closed. And Wednesday… we will begin the day as usual, my 6:30 am Mysore class. But it will be at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center. If you haven’t been there, Google it, the venerable Santa Barbara institution at 32 East Micheltorena Street, up there with the finer things in life in Santa Barbara’s Upper East.
How did we get to this point? Well, it began in the summer of 2005. Michele and I took our boys, then aged 2, to Guruji’s 90th birthday in Mysore. We stayed for 6 weeks. Returning to our happy little Shala, we opened a fateful envelope to find that our building had been purchased by a developer, who planned to raze it ASAP. Knowing that the hoops in this town for new developments can be daunting, we thought we might be able to carry on for years. Only problem: the lease that he was offering had a clause in it that he could evict us at any time during the term; not a great lease you might say. Since then, I’ve tired of having an axe over my head. Looking around at prices, we discovered that our building is really the last of its kind in the downtown area, including the “funk” zone, in terms of warehouse quality and size versus price. We would have had to move to Goleta to carry on the way we like.
So, since then, we’ve had our eyes out for opportunity. Things converged last month: Damien De Bastier, who conducts the other Mysore scene in town, decided to call it a day, right at the time that our lease was expiring. Lais Da Silva, the owner of the Yoga Center and an old friend, made us a good offer. There were other offers as well. So, we were in the position to negotiate something that should allow us to make a living (not a given in this biz).
The Yoga Center: I taught there from 1996 through 2001. I began the Mysore thing in Santa Barbara there in 1998. Since then, the tradition has been carried on there by David and Andrea Miliotis and then Damien. We first met many of you there. The place always felt quite good to me, an old church, spiritual and very sensual. We exited in 2001, not because we didn’t like it, but partly because Guruji was encouraging his approved teachers to start their own Yoga Shalas with “no mixing”, partly because we were excited about starting our own thing.
Over the last seven years, standing alone as a dedicated practice space required incredible determination and strength, on a regular basis actually, and this crucible transformed us as teachers, kind of burned the crap out. And we’ve also had an amazing time, unbelievably rapturous in the really good moments. Some of you have been coming regularly since the day we began. A lot has happened on that warehouse floor; we feel thankful for every one of you who have joined us there.
So, what next? We merge into the larger community of a yoga center. They’ve invited us in warmly. It has three rooms going most of the time, many teachers, countless classes a week. We expect the size of our classes to increase; there will be new people to practice with; there will be resources for promotion, the whole thing will be a bit more public. We plan to hold our integrity firm, so expect the experience to remain similar, just a slightly different vibration. We’ve been sequestered quite deep in the Shala, down a dark hallway in a quirky chaotic creative building; many of you like this. We do. But we’ve learned through the years that the average potential ashtangi finds the Shala highly intimidating, especially in the morning- it takes a brave soul to finally get that doorknob open, among those who don’t already know the tradition.
There will be a schedule change: the morning class with me, including Sunday, will be exactly the same. Afternoon: Monday- Wednesday- Friday, 4-5:55 pm, with Michele.
So, yes, it will be happening one day less a week, and it will be moved an hour earlier. We chose this in part because it will allow us to finally have dinner together as a family and in part because this seemed the best option that was offered us. In our poll, most of you who responded said that you could make that work. We appreciate your willingness to do this change. Prices will remain the same, and you will continue to pay us, even for drop-ins; accounting will be the same as it has been. Any of you holding current series will be able to use them at the Yoga Center. If there is a problem with the new schedule and your ability to make the transition, talk to us.
We will be having a goodbye gathering, at the Shala, potluck, on Saturday October 11th, at 5 pm. bring family and partner. For those who choose, you will have an opportunity to say a little something. We want all of you to come to this. And for those of you who have strayed, you may want to check in one more time before the Shala bows before its fate after the evening class on October 13th.
Are we sad? I was bummed that summer when we got the notice, my dream of doing the big heartbeat Shala into the sunset dashed irrevocably. Michele, whose feelings are never too far from her sleeve, has been more vocal lately about her difficulties in leaving her baby. She has shared this with some of you. But we’re ready to go forward – she gave me the go ahead to write this email – and the next phase promises to be a bright one for Ashtanga in this town. Also, I’ll be carrying on with the Sunday led primary class at Yoga Soup, 3:45 – 5:15 pm; at this point, that will be our only led class.
Any and all responses to this, please send them our way.
Namaste and Love,
Steve Dwelley
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